No negotiation, no swap in Marawi crisis – AFP

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – There will be no negotiations or swapping of prisoners with the extremist Maute group, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said yesterday.

The military echoed the government’s no-ransom, no-negotiation policy with terrorists even after emissaries were said to have talked with the Maute gunmen over the weekend regarding the possible release of hostages.

“In the first place, the sending of the emissaries to the Maute was not in any way sanctioned by the AFP. There would be no negotiation and no swap of anyone from both the side of the government and the Maute,” AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said. 

Malacañang also rejected the reported offer of the Maute group to swap hostages with the arrested key leaders of the terror group.

“Government’s policy not to negotiate with terrorists remains,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

Abella said the government has not sanctioned the effort of local religious leaders in talking to the Maute group to release Fr. Chito Suganob and other hostages. 

Abdullah Maute, one of the leaders of the extremist group, had supposedly offered a prisoner or hostage swap.

“Like I said, like I read, government’s policy is not to negotiate with terrorists… so if there are any developments, let’s wait upon it. Hence, the local religious leader-led talks with the terrorists last Sunday is one not sanctioned by government, the military and our political leaders. Any demands made inside, therefore, hold no basis,” Abella said.

Padilla, on the other hand, said the government is not entering into any negotiation with the Maute in spite of reports that the militants have offered to release Suganob and other hostages in exchange for the Maute parents Cayamora and Farhana Romato.

The Maute couple had been charged with rebellion under the martial law proclamation of President Duterte on May 23, which covered all of Mindanao to contain the uprising in Marawi City.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the offer of the Maute terrorists should be rejected outright.

“The government never negotiates with terrorists,” he said.

President Duterte earlier refused to talk to Romato who attempted to start a dialogue last month in the midst of the crisis in Marawi.

Duterte said the government has already lost many men in fighting the Maute terrorists.

Suganob, the priest who was taken hostage along with other parishioners early in the siege of Marawi City, has been seen alive.

Task Force Marawi spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera said seven civilian hostages who were rescued the other day had confirmed seeing the captive priest.

“We don’t have details of his health. We were just told that he was sighted alive,” he said.

Marawi Bishop Edwin dela Peña said they are leaving it up to the government to decide on whether it should negotiate for the release of Suganob.

While pleased to hear reports that Suganob was still alive, Dela Peña said he would not meddle with the efforts to negotiate the release of the priest.

Aside from Suganob, there were other people who were also taken hostage from St. Mary’s Cathedral, he said. 

“That is good news for us… But we should not forget that there were other people taken as hostages and we know these people because they lived with us,” Dela Peña said.

Herrera added about 100 civilians were still in the hands of the gunmen and being used as human shields, ammunition carriers and stretcher-bearers.

Emissaries comprised of local Muslim religious teachers met a key leader of the militants in Marawi during the truce on Sunday.

While their main aim was to negotiate the release of hostages, the eight religious teachers who entered the battle zone also asked if the jihadists wanted to surrender, but they refused.

The emissaries, however, managed to negotiate the release of five civilians.

The former hostages revealed the militants had forced them to loot abandoned houses and buildings for cash and valuables.

Most of Marawi’s 200,000 residents have fled.

Fighting resumed with renewed fury on Monday, with government fighter jets and other aircraft carrying out bombing attacks amid sustained bursts of gunfire.

“Our offensive operations have resumed and will continue so we can liberate Marawi at the soonest time possible,” Herrera added.

No mercy

AFP Eastern Mindanao Command deputy chief Brig. Gen. Gilbert Gapay vowed to pursue the battle for Marawi to its end, leaving no quarters for the Maute gunmen.

“It would be no mercy for the last Maute member. We have to kill all of the remnants of the Maute militants who are holed up in Marawi at this time. We cannot allow any Maute to survive the lockdown in the remaining areas where they are now,” Gapay said.

He said government forces are careful in their operation to rescue at least 300 civilians still trapped in the city.

He said there are an estimated 100 Maute militants holed up in certain parts of Marawi City.

“It would be easy for the remnants of the Maute to resurge again in Marawi and other areas if they get to live,” Gapay said. 

He said the troops are under orders to hunt down the terrorists in Marawi and pursue the remaining gunmen and supporters who might have escaped.

Security officials appealed to the public to refrain from spreading misinformation regarding the troops.

Soldiers have been accused of rampant looting of abandoned houses in the guise of illegal searches.

Government troops were also reported to have threatened to rape the women who refused to leave the city.

“I appeal to our constituents, please stop your assumptions. Please stop spreading misinformation,” Herrera said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said some quarters are making matters worse by spreading misinformation about the troops in Marawi.

Abella also echoed the statements of Lorenzana over the reports of alleged abuses committed by troops against Marawi women.  –  With Christina Mendez, Roel Pareño, Edu Punay, Evelyn Macairan, John Unson, Jaime Laude